Yosemite Up Close--and in Focus

Look through the viewfinder or use the naked eye on two fall trips to Yosemite National Park:

A three-day photo trip departs on Oct. 20 for Yosemite to catch the fall colors on camera. Photographing sites include Merced River, Half Dome, El Capitan and Glacier Point. Guests will also get a guided walking tour in the park.

Cost: $210 per person, double occupancy, including three nights at Yosemite Lodge, Sunday brunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel and a picnic lunch. Guests take the shuttle service to major sights. Not included: transportation to Yosemite and all other meals. Contact: Image Quest, 1164 Alvira St., Los Angeles, Calif. 90035; telephone (213) 939-2819.

Take the A train (as in Amtrak) to Yosemite to view the fall foliage on a three-day trip that leaves Union Station in Los Angeles Oct. 30. Guests will spend two nights at Yosemite Lodge and take day tours to view El Capitan, Bridal Veil Fall and other park attractions.

Cost: $289 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip Amtrak and motor coach transportation, lodging and guide. Not included: meals. Contact: Pierce College Extension, 6201 Winnetka Ave., Woodland Hills, Calif. 91371; tel. (818) 719-6425.

Spain and Beyond

A 17-day tour to Portugal, Morocco and Spain departs March 24 from Los Angeles to visit the famous cities of Toledo, Cordoba, Granada, Tanger, Fes, Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat, Sevilla, Lisbon, Fatima and Madrid. The itinerary includes a visit to the Alhambra in Granada, Spain’s most beautiful Moorish building; a view of the famous Rock of Gibraltar on the ferry to North Africa; a visit to the Casbah in Tanger, and a visit to the Shrine of Fatima, scene of celebrated religious miracles.

Cost: $1,885 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare, four-star hotels, buffet breakfast daily, 10 dinners, motor-coach touring, services of a professional tour director and specialized local guides in a number of cities, baggage handling and hotel tips. Contact: Bonar Travel, 24 Whitewater Drive, Corona del Mar, Calif. 92625; tel. (714) 640-7402.Caribbean Beat

A weeklong cruise with a groove on an R&B; tour of the Caribbean leaves Jan. 13 and offers all-night concerts from well-known bands such as Taj Mahal, Roomful of Blues, Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers, Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials and Dr. John. Passengers get a chance to dance, dine and sightsee with their favorite musicians while stopping at Nassau, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico. Passengers sail on the S.S. Oceanic, which has two pools, a Euro-spa, casinos and around-the-clock buffets and dining.

Cost: from $1,049 per person, double occupancy, including cabins, meals and performances. Not included: air fare to Orlando, Fla. Contact: Ultimate Rhythm & Blues Cruise, 4800 Main, Suite 251, Kansas City, Mo. 64112; tel. (800) 886-6132.

Fashionable Paris

A seven-day tour to Paris leaves Los Angeles March 3 to see a fashion show and a haute couture fashion collection in a designer salon. To see the sights of Paris, participants are given a five-day unlimited subway and bus pass and a taped walking tour on cassette. Guests will get a chance to take a sightseeing cruise on the Seine River.

Cost: $1,399 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare to Paris, accommodations at the Ambassador Concord, daily breakfast and transfers. Contact: Let’s Go, 3222 Lake Albano Circle, San Jose, Calif. 95135; tel. (408) 223-2281.

Asian Massage

Combine massage lessons with a 17-day trip to Japan, Thailand and Bali on April 7. Participants start in Japan with workshops in shiatsu massage techniques and they take nature walks in the Kita Alps. Guests stay in a traditional Japanese ryokan , or country inn, at the hot springs resort of Bessho, where there are temples and pagodas to explore. The next stop is Bangkok where guests will learn about the basics of Thai massage at the spa at Wat Po, a temple where traditional Thai massage is given. In Phuket, Thailand, guests will spend three days canoeing and snorkeling at the limestone islands, caves and coral formations off the coast. In Bali, travelers learn massage, go mountain biking and white-water rafting on the Ayung River.

Cost: $3,990 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, meals, sightseeing, classes and motor coach transportation. Not included: international air fare. Contact: Top Guides, 1825 San Lorenzo Ave., Berkeley, Calif. 94707; tel. (800) 867-6777.

Mexico’s Land and Sea

A rail trip through Mexico’s Copper Canyon and cruise in the Sea of Cortez are combined for an eight-day trip that leaves on various dates in December and April. Participants begin with the cruise and visit Isla San Esteban to join a naturalist who will explain the bird life and search for pinto chuckwalla, a plump harmless lizard found only on that island. Shoreline expeditions aboard Zodiac landing crafts give passengers a chance to swim and snorkel with sea lions at Isla San Pedro Martir. The rail trip begins at the gateway of Copper Canyon near Los Mochis. Rugged mountains, winding rivers, 73 tunnels and scenic canyons are viewed. Guests stay in a cliff-side hotel and meet native Tarahumara.

Cost: $1,740 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, meals, land transfers and sightseeing fees. Not included: air fare to Mexico. An add-on trip to visit Mexico’s colonial cities is available. Contact: Special Expeditions, 720 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10019; tel. (800) 762-0003.

Times Square 1995

A weeklong excursion to New York City for New Year’s leaves Dec. 27 and includes a brunch at Tavern on the Green in Central Park; a half-day bus tour of the city; three days of tours to historical sites, landmarks, churches and stores such as Macy’s and Tiffany’s; orchestra seats at three Broadway plays; a New York Philharmonic performance; backstage tour of the Metropolitan Opera House, and free time to explore museums and restaurants. On New Year’s Eve, participants will join the festivities on Times Square and then have a private party at their hotel.

Cost: $1,585 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, hotel, tours and sightseeing fees and ground transportation. Not included: most meals. Contact: MiraCosta College, 1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside, Calif. 92056; tel. (619) 757-2121.Belize, Release Me

An eight-day tour of Belize, Guatemala and Honduras to visit sacred Mayan sites leaves Los Angeles Oct. 16. In Belize, participants will tour Belize City, visit the Mayan ruins at Xuanantunich and see where medicinal herbs are grown. In Honduras, the Copan ruins are seen, and in Guatemala, guests visit the ruins of Tikal, Lake Atitlan and shop in native markets at Chichicastenango.

Cost: $1,520 per person, including air fare from Los Angeles, hotels, meals and entrance fees. Contact: Amente Sacred Tours, 27 Packet Road, Palos Verdes, Calif. 90275; tel. (310) 377-1717.

Chauffeured Russia

Eight-day chauffeured tours of Moscow and St. Petersburg, combined with stays at leading hotels in both cities are available year-round. Participants can spend three nights in Moscow and take in the Kremlin and the Czarist treasures of the Armory Palace, Red Square and St. Basil’s Cathedral, and Novodevichy Convent and the ancient icons of Andronikov Monastery. Also on the itinerary is the Pushkin Fine Art Museum, State Picture Gallery, and the houses of Gorky and Tolstoy. In St. Petersburg, the Hermitage tops the list, along with Tchaikovsky’s home and the former Mikhailov Palace.

Cost: from $3,000 per person, double occupancy, including daily breakfast, a chauffeured car and English-speaking guide. Not included: international air fare. Contact: Five Star Touring, 60 E. 42nd St., Suite 612, New York, N.Y. 10165; tel. (800) 792-7827.

The Times is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. These should be confirmed with travel agents or tour operators.